Extremal properties of some geometric processes

In this paper some isoperimetric inequalities for stationary random tessellations are discussed. At first, classical results on deterministic tessellations in the Euclidean plane are extended to the case of random tessellations. An isoperimetric inequality for the random Poisson polygon is derived as a consequence of a theorem of Davidson concerning an extremal property of tessellations generated by random lines inR ². We mention extremal properties of stationary hyperplane tessellations inR ^d related to Davidson's result in cased=2. Finally, similar problems for random arrangements ofr-flats inR ^d are considered (r).This work was done while the author was visiting the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.     

Reverse inequalities for zonoids and their application

We prove inequalities for mixed volumes of zonoids with isotropic generating measures. A special case is an inequality for zonoids that is reverse to the generalized Urysohn inequality, between mean width and another intrinsic volume; here the equality case characterizes parallelepipeds. We apply this to a question from stochastic geometry. It is known that among the stationary Poisson hyperplane processes of given positive intensity in n-dimensional Euclidean space, the ones with rotation invariant distribution are characterized by the fact that they yield, for k∈{2,…,n}, the maximal intensity of the intersection process of order k. We show that, if the kth intersection density is measured in an affine-invariant way, the processes of hyperplanes with only n fixed directions are characterized by a corresponding minimum property.     

Intrinsic volumes of the maximal polytope process in higher dimensional STIT tessellations

Stationary and isotropic iteration stable random tessellations are considered, which are constructed by a random process of iterative cell division. The collection of maximal polytopes at a fixed time t within a convex window W⊂R^d is regarded and formulas for mean values, variances and a characterization of certain covariance measures are proved. The focus is on the case d≥3, which is different from the planar one, treated separately in Schreiber and Thäle (2010) [12]. Moreover, a limit theorem for suitably rescaled intrinsic volumes is established, leading — in sharp contrast to the situation in the plane — to a non-Gaussian limit.     

Small faces in stationary Poisson hyperplane tessellations

We consider the tessellation induced by a stationary Poisson hyperplane process in d‐dimensional Euclidean space. Under a suitable assumption on the directional distribution, and measuring the k‐faces of the tessellation by a suitable size functional, we determine a limit distribution for the shape of the typical k‐face, under the condition of given size and this tending to zero. The limit distribution is concentrated on simplices. This extends a result of Gilles Bonnet.     

Comparison of volumes of convex bodies in real, complex, and quaternionic spaces

The classical Busemann-Petty problem (1956) asks, whether origin-symmetric convex bodies in Rn with smaller hyperplane central sections necessarily have smaller volumes. It is known, that the answer is affirmative if n?4 and negative if n>4. The same question can be asked when volumes of hyperplane sections are replaced by other comparison functions having geometric meaning. We give unified analysis of this circle of problems in real, complex, and quaternionic n-dimensional spaces. All cases are treated simultaneously. In particular, we show that the Busemann-Petty problem in the quaternionic n-dimensional space has an affirmative answer if and only if n=2. The method relies on the properties of cosine transforms on the unit sphere. We discuss possible generalizations.     

Rescaled Lévy-Loewner hulls and random growth

We consider radial Loewner evolution driven by unimodular Lévy processes. We rescale the hulls of the evolution by capacity, and prove that the weak limit of the rescaled hulls exists. We then study a random growth model obtained by driving the Loewner equation with a compound Poisson process. The process involves two real parameters: the intensity of the underlying Poisson process and a localization parameter of the Poisson kernel which determines the jumps. A particular choice of parameters yields a growth process similar to the Hastings-Levitov HL(0) model. We describe the asymptotic behavior of the hulls with respect to the parameters, showing that growth tends to become localized as the jump parameter increases. We obtain deterministic evolutions in one limiting case, and Loewner evolution driven by a unimodular Cauchy process in another. We show that the Hausdorff dimension of the limiting rescaled hulls is equal to 1. Using a different type of compound Poisson process, where the Poisson kernel is replaced by the heat kernel, as driving function, we recover one case of the aforementioned model and SLE(κ) as limits.     

Simulation of typical Cox–Voronoi cells with a special regard to implementation tests

We consider stationary Poisson line processes in the Euclidean plane and analyze properties of Voronoi tessellations induced by Poisson point processes on these lines. In particular, we describe and test an algorithm for the simulation of typical cells of this class of Cox–Voronoi tessellations. Using random testing, we validate our algorithm by comparing theoretical values of functionals of the zero cell to simulated values obtained by our algorithm. Finally, we analyze geometric properties of the typical Cox–Voronoi cell and compare them to properties of the typical cell of other well-known classes of tessellations, especially Poisson–Voronoi tessellations. Our results can be applied to stochastic–geometric modelling of networks in telecommunication and life sciences, for example. The lines can then represent roads in urban road systems, blood arteries or filament structures in biological tissues or cells, while the points can be locations of telecommunication equipment or vesicles, respectively.     

Pfaffian structures and critical problems in finite symplectic spaces

Just as matroids abstract the algebraic properties of determinants in a vector space, Pfaffian structures abstract the algebraic properties of Pfaffians or skew-symmetric determinants in a symplectic space (that is, a vector space with an alternating bilinear form). This is done using an exchange-augmentation axiom which is a combinatorial version of a Laplace expansion or straightening identity for Pfaffians. Using Pfaffian structures, we study a symplectic analogue of the classical critical problem: given a setS of non-zero vectors in a non-singular symplectic spaceV of dimension2m, find its symplectic critical exponent, that is, the minimum of the set {m?dim(U):U∩S=0}, whereU ranges over all the (totally) isotropic subspaces disjoint fromS. In particular, we derive a formula for the number of isotropic subspaces of a given dimension disjoint from the setS by Möbius inversion over the order ideal of isotropic flats in the lattice of flats of the matroid onS given by linear dependence. This formula implies that the symplectic critical exponent ofS depends only on its matroid and Pfaffian structure; however, it may depend on the dimension of the symplectic spaceV.     

Matching binary convexities

We showed in an earlier paper that the Radon number of an n-dimensional binary convexity equals the Radon number of the n-cube, except for a well-determined sequence of dimensions, in which case the Radon number may be one unit larger. Examples of the latter are obtained in every predicted dimension. The basic tool is a matching procedure which works for binary convexities.     

Stability of the Blaschke-Santaló and the affine isoperimetric inequality

A stability version of the Blaschke-Santaló inequality and the affine isoperimetric inequality for convex bodies of dimension n?3 is proved. The first step is the reduction to the case when the convex body is o-symmetric and has axial rotational symmetry. This step works for related inequalities compatible with Steiner symmetrization. Secondly, for these convex bodies, a stability version of the characterization of ellipsoids by the fact that each hyperplane section is centrally symmetric is established.     

Distributional properties of the typical cell of stationary iterated tessellations

Distributional properties are considered of the typical cell of stationary iterated tessellations (SIT), which are generated by stationary Poisson-Voronoi tessellations (SPVT) and stationary Poisson line tessellations (SPLT), respectively. Using Neveus exchange formula, the typical cell of SIT can be represented by those cells of its component tessellation hitting the typical cell of its initial tessellation. This provides a simulation algorithm without consideration of limits in space. It has been applied in order to estimate the probability densities of geometric characteristics of the typical cell of SIT generated by SPVT and SPLT. In particular, the probability densities of the number of vertices, the perimeter, and the area of the typical cell of such SIT have been determined.Acknowledgement. This work was supported by France Telecom R&D through research grant no. 001B130.     

On Some Inequalities for Poisson Networks

A stationary Poisson hyperplane process in R^d induces a random network of (d-2)-flats, each of which is the intersection of two hyperplanes of the process. It is known that the intensity of the induced (d-2)-flat process divided by the square of the intensity of the original hyperplane process is maximal in the isotropic case. An integral-geometric formula for elliptic spaces is presented, from which the mentioned extremum property and related inequalities for superpositions of stationary Poisson hyperplane processes are derived.     

Inside-out polytopes

We present a common generalization of counting lattice points in rational polytopes and the enumeration of proper graph colorings, nowhere-zero flows on graphs, magic squares and graphs, antimagic squares and graphs, compositions of an integer whose parts are partially distinct, and generalized latin squares. Our method is to generalize Ehrhart's theory of lattice-point counting to a convex polytope dissected by a hyperplane arrangement. We particularly develop the applications to graph and signed-graph coloring, compositions of an integer, and antimagic labellings.     

A global construction of homogeneous random planar tessellations that are stable under iteration

Homogeneous (i.e. spatially stationary) random tessellations of the Euclidean plane are constructed which have the characteristic property to be stable under the operation of iteration (or nesting), STIT for short. It is based on a Poisson point process on the space of lines that are endowed with a time of birth. A new approach is presented that describes the tessellation in the whole plane. So far, an explicit geometrical construction for those tessellations was only known within bounded windows.     

Inequalities for Stationary Poisson Cuboid Processes

A cuboid is a rectangular parallelepipedon. By the notion “stationary Poisson cuboid process” we understand a stationary Poisson hyperplane process which divides the Euclidean space ?^d into cuboids. It is equivalent to speak of a stationary Poisson cuboid tessellation. The distributions of volume and total edge length of the typical cuboid and the origin-cuboid of a stationary Poisson cuboid process are considered. It is shown that these distributions become minimal, in the sense of a specific order relation, in the case of quasi-isotropy. A possible connection to a more general problem, treated in [6], is also discussed.     

Shape-driven nested Markov tessellations

A new and rather broad class of stationary random tessellations of the d-dimensional Euclidean space is introduced, which we call shape-driven nested Markov tessellations. Locally, these tessellations are constructed by means of a spatio-temporal random recursive split dynamics governed by a family of Markovian split kernel, generalizing thereby the – by now classical – construction of iteration stable random tessellations. By providing an explicit global construction of the tessellations, it is shown that under suitable assumptions on the split kernels (shape-driven), there exists a unique time-consistent whole-space tessellation-valued Markov process of stationary random tessellations compatible with the given split kernels. Beside the existence and uniqueness result, the typical cell and some aspects of the first-order geometry of these tessellations are in the focus of our discussion.     

Weighted Poisson Cells as Models for Random Convex Polytopes

We introduce a parametric family for random convex polytopes in ? ^d which allows for an easy generation of samples for further use, e.g., as random particles in materials modelling and simulation. The basic idea consists in weighting the Poisson cell, which is the typical cell of the stationary and isotropic Poisson hyperplane tessellation, by suitable geometric characteristics. Since this approach results in an exponential family, parameters can be efficiently estimated by maximum likelihood. This work has been motivated by the desire for a flexible model for random convex particles as can be found in many composite materials such as concrete or refractory castables.     

A monotonicity lemma in higher dimensions

Let K be a body of constant width in a Minkowski space (i.e., in a real finite dimensional Banach space). Then any hyperplane section S of K bounds two parts of K one of which has the same diameter as S. Furthermore, if we represent K as the union of hyperplane sections S(t), t ∈[0, 1], continuously depending on t, then the Minkowskian diameter of S(t) is a unimodal function of the variable t. These two statements (being the core of this note) can be considered as higher-dimensional extensions of the well-known monotonicity lemma from Minkowski geometry.     

p-q-convergence of sequences of measurable functions

We introduce new types of convergence of sequences of measurable functions stronger than convergence in measure for each pair of positive real numbers p, q and we obtain a classification of convergences in measure. Also in the space M of sequences of measurable functions converging in measure to zero, we introduce in a natural way an equivalence relation ∼, and in the quotient space M=M/∼ a metric, under which M turns to be a complete metric space.     

Harmonic symmetrization of convex sets and of Finsler structures,with applications to Hilbert geometry

David Hilbert discovered in 1895 an important metric that is canonically associated to an arbitrary convex domain Ω$\Omega$ in the Euclidean (or projective) space. This metric is known to be Finslerian, and the usual proof of this fact assumes a certain degree of smoothness of the boundary of Ω$\Omega$, and refers to a theorem by Busemann and Mayer that produces the norm of a tangent vector from the distance function. In this paper, we develop a new approach for the study of the Hilbert metric where no differentiability is assumed. The approach exhibits the Hilbert metric on a domain as a symmetrization of a natural weak metric, known as the Funk metric. The Funk metric is described as a tautological   weak Finsler metric, in which the unit ball in each tangent space is naturally identified with the domain Ω$\Omega$ itself. The Hilbert metric is then identified with the reversible tautological weak Finsler structure   on Ω$\Omega$, and the unit ball of the Hilbert metric at each point is described as the harmonic symmetrization of the unit ball of the Funk metric. Properties of the Hilbert metric then follow from general properties of harmonic symmetrizations of weak Finsler structures.